Holocaust Resources: An Annotated bibliography of archival holdings at the Center for Jewish History

General Information about the Bibliography

The bibliography is a compilation of materials drawn from the partner organizations of the Center for Jewish History (Center): the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI), the Yeshiva University Museum (YUM), and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (YIVO); the materials are accessible through the Lillian Goldman Reading Room (Reading Room). All archival collections containing any information on the Holocaust, catalogued as of May 2006, are included in the bibliography. The archival collections are made up of primary resource materials, largely unpublished, such as diaries and memoirs, correspondence, artifacts, lists (deportations, survivors, displaced persons), etc. Materials cover the period from the late 1920s through to the late 1950s. The bibliography is a tool with which both professional and lay researchers can locate information regarding the Holocaust, a topic requested frequently by our users.

Inventories at the Center show that topics related to Holocaust study are consistently among the most-requested subjects by professional researchers (academics, writers, filmmakers) and lay people alike. To better meet the needs of the Center's patrons, Public Services sought funding for a bibliography of the Center's unique materials on and about the Holocaust. In December 2003, the Center's application to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, Inc. (Claims Conference) to fund the bibliography was approved.

The Center gratefully acknowledges the support of the Claims Conference which has made possible, "Holocaust Resources: An Annotated Bibliography of Archival Holdings at the Center for Jewish History."

Components of the Bibliography

The bibliography is made up of over 2,000 entries, which represent records in 32 different languages. Included are almost 3,000 individuals' names, over 300 organizational names, and close to 700 locations (countries, cities, towns) with alternate languages and spellings. All entries can be accessed easily through the web by a "Simple Search" or a "Guided Search" in either a brief format or as the full entry. Individual searches may be stored in "My Bookshelf."

The components of the brief entries are presented in a list that includes:

Author/Creator

Title

Repository

Call no.

Brief entries may be expanded to full entries by clicking on the call number. The full entry includes:

Author/Creator

Title and relevant dates within the collection

Repository within the Center for Jewish History

Call no. information

Size of collection

Portion of relevant material within the collection

Annotation with description of relevant material/s

Full index listings within the collection of Locations, Subjects, and Names

A Word about Orthography

Diacritics: Where possible the orthography of the original language was used, with the exception
of the umlaut in German, e.g., when it was not clear if the original was "oe" or ö.

Localities, i.e., cities are written in the original language, except for well-known cities,
e.g., "Munich" not "München," or "Cracow" not "Kraków."

(Authorities: Columbia Gazetteer of the World, Columbia University Press Jewish Gen; Where Once We Walked,
A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust Gary Mokotoff, Sallyann AmdurSack with Alexander
Sharon, Avotaynu, Inc., 2002.)

Reserving and Accessing Material (Collections)

Researchers may view all collections described in this bibliography in the
Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. The Reading Room is open to the public.
All visitors to the Center need to present a valid picture ID upon entering the building.

Researchers need to register by filling out a simple registration form. Upon arrival in the Reading Room, researchers will be issued a Reader Card.

Many collections may be viewed on microfilm only. We suggest the researcher make a reservation for a microfilm reader/printer machine by calling (917) 606-8217 or sending an e-mail request to the Public Services Desk.